New Collaboratory Focuses on Research to Improve School and Child Health

Posted on December 8, 2015February 16, 2023 by

A new partnership between UConn’s Neag School of Education; Office of Public Engagement; and Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention (CHIP) promises to take a coordinated, comprehensive approach to promoting the health and well-being of “the whole child.”

The Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH), which has become part of CHIP, will connect relevant UConn researchers from a range of disciplines and unite them with the shared goals of conducting community-engaged research to inform healthy, safe, supporting, and engaging environments for all children and translating their findings into improved policies, processes, and practices.

CSCH Collaboratory — The Collaboratory on School & Child Health will focus on promoting the health and well-being of the “whole child.”

“It can be relatively easy to check off that a school has a plan to address a particular area related to child well-being. For example, every district in Connecticut is required to have anti-bullying policies and practices in place. And in terms of pulling together all of the factors that influence student health and achievement, states generally have what is called a coordinated school health plan – but what does that mean in terms of actual practices at each school, and how do you evaluate those policies, processes, and practices to understand what is working and where gaps exist for the whole child?” asks Collaboratory co-director Sandra Chafouleas, a professor of educational psychology and the associate dean for research in the Neag School.

Chafouleas and her Collaboratory co-director E. Carol Polifroni, a professor of nursing and director of the University’s Office of Public Engagement, identified the need for the Collaboratory when they first met each other a year ago and discovered they had been trying to address the same pressing, complex school and children’s health issues from different perspectives – and largely on their own.

“There are lots of people at UConn who have been doing research on schools and children’s health for a long, long time, but our work separately and individually doesn’t do what it needs to be doing. It does not have impact,” Polifroni says. “The opportunity to come together under the CHIP umbrella to focus on health behavior change for children in order to improve their learning and quality of life will be the key to our success.”

“States generally have what is called a coordinated school health plan – but what does that mean in terms of actual practices at each school, and how do you evaluate those policies, processes, and practices to understand what is working and where gaps exist for the whole child?”

– Professor Sandra Chafouleas, co-director,
Collaboratory on School & Child Health

Grant Competition
Dedicated to the study of health behavior and health behavior change, CHIP has a proven track record of building and supporting multidisciplinary research teams to address a variety of health problems, securing significant external funding for its research, and translating its most effective interventions into practice. CHIP also has a burgeoning research focus on children’s health, bolstered by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity’s move to CHIP from Yale University in January and its emphasis on childhood obesity.

“Establishing healthy behaviors and curbing unhealthy ones during childhood is far easier and more effective than it is during adulthood, once bad habits have become ingrained,” says CHIP associate director Deborah Cornman, who will serve on the Collaboratory’s steering committee.

CHIP and the Neag School will accelerate the development of the Collaboratory’s research program with a new, jointly funded Dual-Principal Investigator (PI) Seed Grant competition, which will award two grants of $15,000 each to multidisciplinary research teams focused on school and children’s health. The Collaboratory also hosted a networking event on the Storrs campus last month to help researchers interested in applying for the seed grants find collaborators from different disciplines. CHIP has had success in recent years using jointly funded dual-PI seed grant competitions to strengthen its multidisciplinary research capacity in targeted health areas including HIV, obesity, cancer, children’s health, and mental health.

The Office of Public Engagement will contribute to the Collaboratory through the establishment of valued community partners, assessment of their needs and interests, and assistance with the implementation of interventions that emphasize healthy behaviors for the whole child, Polifroni says.

Her office also will make some seed program and/or research funding available to Collaboratory-affiliated researchers through a grant it has received from the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at University of Pennsylvania. The Netter Center grant has partially funded the Office of Public Engagement to establish the New England University Assisted Community School Collaborative (NE UACSC) to conduct engaged research with and to provide training and technical assistance to area schools.

Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child
The Collaboratory is based on the recently updated U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child” model, which identifies the need for collaboration across education and health sectors to improve learning and health in our nation’s schools. The model includes 10 components: community involvement; counseling, psychological, and social services; employee wellness; family engagement; health education; health services; nutrition environment and services; physical education and physical activity; physical environment; and social and emotional climate. Within and across the CDC’s 10 components, the Collaboratory also will examine the influences of culture, health care disparities, and social determinants of health on children’s health and well-being.

The Collaboratory’s diverse steering committee includes UConn faculty and community members representing work related to each of the CDC model’s components for school and child health.

Husky Sport founder and director Jennifer McGarry, who is also a professor of educational leadership in the Neag School, is one of the steering committee members.

Husky Sport is a campus-community partnership, with program and research components, that pairs UConn student mentors with Hartford elementary and middle school students to emphasize the importance of sports and physical activity and to advocate for good nutrition and healthy lifestyles. Now in its 12th year, Husky Sport has grown its number of community partners since its inception and broadened its scope to address different aspects of child health and well-being.

“The bottom line, what connects everything, is this: Children need caring adults in their lives,” McGarry says. “The greater the number of caring adults there are, the better. The longer those adults stay in their lives, the better. And the more those adults talk to each other about the children’s needs, the better.”

Chafouleas and Polifroni envision that, in the future, Connecticut schools will view the Collaboratory as their “go-to partner” for their research needs.

This story was originally published in CHIP Today.

National Consortium Offers Full Funding to Neag School Special Ed Doctoral Students

Posted on December 8, 2015November 25, 2024 by Musa Jatkowski

For Kaitlin Leonard, a mother of two young children and a literacy coach who had previously worked for 10 years as a schoolteacher, finding the time or the money to pursue a Ph.D. had never seemed a realistic possibility.

This fall, however, Leonard entered the Neag School as a special education doctoral candidate – with a full four years of funding made available to her through a new national consortium. Established last year, the consortium – known as the National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII), and which counts UConn among its seven partner institutions – is offering federal funding to a total of 28 scholars interested in earning a Ph.D. in the field of special education.

“I don’t think I would have explored this opportunity, had this funding not been available,” says Leonard, who lives in Woodstock, Conn. “It’s really what sold my family on it.”

Leonard is one of two NCLII student scholars currently at UConn, joined by fellow scholar Sarah Wilkinson; a third slot at the Storrs campus is currently open to applications from prospective candidates. In addition to UConn, NCLII’s other partner institutions include Vanderbilt University, Southern Methodist University, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Minnesota, University of Texas at Austin, and Virginia Commonwealth University. The consortium, supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, is intended to improve the quality and quantity of doctoral students in the field.

“There’s an incredible need for us to provide intervention for kids [with disabilities] … This is your foot in the door to a life of building futures for kids by providing a better education.”

– Assistant Professor Devin Kearns

“The purpose of this center is to bring together experts in academics and behavior,” says Assistant Professor Devin Kearns, an expert in special education and students with disabilities, and one of the Neag School’s five professors serving as participating faculty in the NCLII. “We had the right combination of people to be good partners for this.” Kearns is joined by Neag School faculty Michael Coyne – UConn’s lead faculty representative at NCLII – as well as Jennifer Freeman, Natalie Olinghouse, and Brandi Simonsen, all of whom play a key role on one or more of NCLII’s committees.

‘An amazing opportunity’

In addition to full funding, the NCLII fellowship provides Leonard and other student scholars with a wealth of unique learning, networking, and research opportunities. For one, students spend several hours per week participating in an online curriculum – devised in part by Kearns, who serves on NCLII’s curriculum design committee.

Each curriculum module is led by a different NCLII instructor, through which students learn about major topics in the field of special education, from intensive intervention to curriculum-based measurement. The online interface gives the student scholars access to video presentations by NCLII faculty experts, primary source readings, and various web resources; they also interact via Skype with faculty and fellow students from each of the partner institutions.

NCLII students and faculty also convene periodically in person, giving scholars like Leonard firsthand access to some of the nation’s most influential faculty in the field of special education. Last month, for instance, she and other NCLII students attended a summit held at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Kaitlin Leonard Devin Kearns — NCLII student scholar Katie Leonard (left) and assistant professor Devin Kearns meet to review research. (Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay/Neag School of Education)

“They are getting to talk with other future leading scholars in the field – students who are going to be their peers going forward,” Kearns says. “It’s an amazing opportunity to get to know these students and faculty across the different sites in an immediate kind of way, one that often develops over years and years because you don’t typically have those opportunities.”

The chance to take part in groundbreaking research with top experts is yet another piece of the NCLII fellowship – and one that Leonard says was a particularly big draw for her. Leonard, who spent the first decade of her career as a schoolteacher – initially in special education, and then in a general education classroom – most recently worked as a literacy coach for HILL for Literacy, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that specializes in developing and deploying sustainable literacy programs in partner school districts. There, she became involved in research connected in part with the Neag School’s Center for Behavioral Education and Research (CBER).

“I realized I loved working with struggling learners and trying different research methods to help them,” she says. Now, with Coyne as her advisor, Leonard is already engaged in no less than three research projects – one focused on dyslexia in third-graders; one on literacy in schoolchildren in grades kindergarten through third grade; and another, technology-based vocabulary and comprehension intervention, also with third-graders.

Kaitlin Leonard NCLII — Doctoral student Kaitlin Leonard takes part in an online curriculum several hours per week, interacting with fellow NCLII students and faculty experts via Skype, faculty video presentations, online discussions, and more. (Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay/Neag School of Education)

Regardless of what kind of path Leonard takes from here, Kearns says, “The training is focused on how to make you a great special education researcher – whatever form that takes.”

Why a Ph.D.?
Having her own children, and “seeing the paths they’re taking and the questions I need to ask,” is what Leonard says solidified her interest in special education. “Learning how to be an advocate as a parent helped me to want to advocate for all children,” she says.

That, she says, combined with her exposure to research work, drove her to “realize what my passion is, and to really want to follow it” – ultimately leading her to give serious consideration to pursuing a Ph.D. “I’m thrilled,” she says of the Neag School program. “This is harder than anything else I’ve done in my life, but I’m so proud that I’m doing this.”

Applicants for NCLII funding are invited to apply through the Neag School by the Feb. 15 deadline. The center, Kearns says, is seeking candidates with “a demonstrated interest in improving academic and behavioral outcomes for students with the most severe and persistent learning needs.”

Fortunately for aspiring special education leaders and researchers, NCLII funding is not the only source of full funding for scholars at the Neag School, as Kearns, Coyne, and other special education professors have a number of other federal grants in place over the next several years.

“Education is really struggling to support kids with disabilities,” Kearns says. “There’s an incredible need for us to provide intervention for these kids – and we know a lot about how to help them. This is an amazing opportunity to learn how to be one of the people who does that work. This is your foot in the door to a life of building futures for kids by providing a better education.”

Interested in applying? Applications for the final NCLII student scholar opening at UConn are due Feb. 15, 2016. Click here or visit NCLII.org to find more information.

Save the Date: 2016 Neag Alumni Awards Celebration

Posted on December 8, 2015December 8, 2021 by Musa Jatkowski

Join us in celebrating the Neag School’s outstanding alumni this spring. The 18th annual Neag School Alumni Awards Celebration is scheduled for Saturday, March 19, 2016. All Neag School alumni are welcome.

Awards will be presented in the following six categories:

Outstanding Higher Education Professional – A faculty member or administrator at a college or university

Outstanding School Superintendent – A leader of a public or private school system

Outstanding School Administrator – A principal, assistant principal, central office administrator or director

Outstanding School Educator – Pre-K through 12th grade educators, including classroom, reading, technology, ELL, school counselors, school psychologists, etc.

Outstanding Professional – A professional working within the public or private sector

Outstanding Early Career Professional – A promising young professional in the first five years of his/her career in education

Learn more about specific award criteria, and see videos of last year’s winners.

Questions? Contact Robyn Wilgis at robyn.wilgis@uconn.edu.

Neag School’s Educator Preparation Program Receives National Recognition

Posted on December 8, 2015March 23, 2021 by

The Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut has been reaccredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The Neag School received national recognition in October for its commitment to producing quality educators for the nation’s children by continuously improving its diverse clinical and field experiences for students in its educator preparation programs. The accreditation is good for five years and is a joint accreditation with the Connecticut State Department of Education.

“I am extremely pleased with the results of our NCATE report,” says Richard L. Schwab, dean of the Neag School of Education. “In all cases, we have met or exceeded the rigorous standards set by NCATE. This report is a testament to the dedication and scholarship of our faculty and staff over the past few years in preparing the next generation of highly effective P-12 teachers and other school specialists, and strengthening student learning.”

The NCATE’s site examiners focused on a conceptual framework, establishing the shared vision for a unit’s efforts in preparing educators to work in P-12 schools. According to NCATE’s website, the accreditation standards focus on six strategic areas: candidate knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions; assessment system and unit evaluation; field experiences and clinical practice; diversity; faculty qualifications, performance, and development; and unit governance and resources.

“A clinical-based educator preparation program enables us to know that our children’s teachers enter the classroom ready to stimulate their interest in learning.”

– Yuhang Rong, Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation

“Teacher quality is the most important factor in P-12 student achievement,” says Yuhang Rong, assistant vice provost for global affairs at UConn and a commissioner of the Accreditation Council at the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). “Research indicates that a key element for successful learning is the opportunity to apply what is being learned and refine it. Carefully constructed clinical and field experiences can enable students in educator preparation programs to reinforce, apply, and synthesize concepts that they are learning in coursework.

“A clinical-based educator preparation program enables us to know that our children’s teachers enter the classroom ready to stimulate their interest in learning,” adds Rong.

CAEP, which is the new accrediting body for educator preparation, was formed through the consolidation of NCATE and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TAEC). CAEP advances excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.

“CAEP-accredited schools stand on a strong foundation and rich history of accreditation in teacher and educator preparation,” says Christopher A. Koch, interim president of CAEP. “CAEP seeks to increase the value of accreditation and to increase participation, building on the decades of institutional knowledge of education’s previous accreditors.”

In the 2013-2014 school year, 164 out of 166 school districts in Connecticut employed a total of 3,100 Neag School graduates as educators. A Neag School internal study indicates a majority of its teacher preparation graduates (73 percent) stay in the classroom for 10 years or more and in far greater numbers than their colleagues nationwide (50 percent).

Desi Nesmith, who was recently selected as chief school turnaround officer for the state Department of Education, completed his elementary teacher preparation and administrator preparation programs at the Neag School. Nesmith was recognized as a Milken Family Foundation Educator in 2014 while serving as principal of Metacomet Elementary School in Bloomfield, Conn.

“Teacher candidates must have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter that they plan to teach, as well as the skills necessary to convey it so that students learn,” Nesmith says. “As a graduate from two programs at the Neag School of Education, I know it has a dedicated faculty who carefully assess knowledge and skill of its candidates. The Neag School partners with Connecticut P-12 schools to design and implement the clinically based preparation, which has enabled me to develop the skills necessary to help students learn.

“I can tell you from my own experience that the graduates of the Neag School are prepared to understand and work with diverse student populations,” says Nesmith.

For more information about the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, visit education.uconn.edu. More information about CAEP is available at caepnet.org.

Neag School Professors Renzulli and Beghetto Receive Grant from UPenn’s Imagination Institute

Posted on December 4, 2015February 16, 2023 by

Members of the imagination, creativity, and innovation (ICI) research team discusses the project. Pictured (L-R): Laurel Brandon, Ron Beghetto, Andrew Cochran, and Joseph Renzulli. — Members of the imagination, creativity, and innovation (ICI) research team discuss the project. Pictured (l-r): Laurel Brandon, Ron Beghetto, Andrew Cochran, and Joseph Renzulli. (Photo: Shawn Kornegay, Neag School of Education at UConn)

Professors Joseph Renzulli and Ronald Beghetto of the Neag School of Education have been awarded a $175,000 grant from the Imagination Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.

The grant will fund their research into creativity, imagination, and innovation as vital outcomes of schooling, and will include the development of a new series of validated instruments, a portfolio that documents schools’ outcomes, and a guidebook for schools to develop and extend their imagination, creativity, and innovation (ICI) resources. Once implemented, the researchers’ School Imagination, Creativity, and Innovation Index and Portfolio would be the first ICI instrument and formative evaluation process to exist in American schools.

According to Renzulli and Beghetto, both researchers at the University of Connecticut’s Neag Center for Creativity, Gifted Education and Talent Development, many schools may be overlooking opportunities to develop students’ skills in the area of ICI – skills the researchers deem essential to the nation’s future economic and cultural prosperity. Ultimately, the School ICI Index and Portfolio is intended to give educators the tools they need to infuse ICI activities into academics – and, in turn, develop more imaginative graduates, who are in increasingly high demand in today’s society.

“In the modern global economy, industry leaders are increasingly looking for personnel with skills in imagination, creativity, and innovation,” says co-principal investigator Renzulli. “Educational leaders in the United States and around the world have put an emphasis on creativity and are looking for ways to assess its promotion in schools.”

The first stage of the research project will include collecting data from more than 400 schools. From there, the ICI instrument “will be developed and validated with input from experts and practitioners over two years,” Beghetto says. “The guidebook and accompanying opportunities for professional development associated with this project will emphasize leadership, services, resources, and ongoing assessment designed to change the entire culture of a school.”

Additionally, the researchers plan to establish a summer institute in which district leaders converge to learn how to build an ICI culture within their school systems.

Renzulli and Beghetto’s proposal was one of 16 selected for funding by UPenn’s Positive Psychology Center. UPenn chose proposals that would examine and measure imagination and creativity in innovative ways.

A small but growing number of states are paving the way in developing creative opportunities for students. For instance, although leaders in Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and California are working toward evaluating schools statewide in their effectiveness in developing and assessing ICI among K-12 students, “research-based instruments and procedures have not yet been developed,” Renzulli says. The School ICI Index and Portfolio will therefore be “designed to assess and provide guidance for promoting ICI in schools and are based on a fundamental premise: That which is evaluated gets done.”

“Large numbers of young people are clearly capable of developing ICI skills, but it will not happen without a concerted effort and specific reward system that nurtures these talents,” Renzulli and Beghetto state in their research proposal. “Schools that place a premium on developing these potentials may be those that are most likely to prepare students that one day develop miraculous cures for disease, launch new businesses, … invent technological marvels, and contribute to the arts, sciences, and humanities in ways that will improve efficiency, effectiveness, aesthetics, and the quality of life for countless generations to come.”

Visiting Professor Speaks on Challenges of Undocumented Students’ High School-to-College Transition

Posted on December 2, 2015February 16, 2023 by

For undocumented students in the United States, each step in the college application process can pose a challenge, says University of Hartford faculty member H. Kenny Nienhusser.

H. Kenny Nienhusser, assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Hartford, presents in November at UConn’s Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center about undocumented students’ transition from high school to college. Photo Credit: Ryan Baldassario

Nienhusser, an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Hartford, met last month with students in the Neag School’s higher education and student affairs program as part of assistant professor Milagros Castillo-Montoya’s multicultural course. Nienhusser focused his discussion on the need for high school and college faculty and administration to reshape their behavior in order to help make college a reality for undocumented students.

Many high school and college educators, he says, have not been trained in how to counsel undocumented students in transitioning to college. This lack of training, he adds, often creates an absence of empathy for these students as they face the challenging college application process.

“If you’re not mindful and aware of what it means to be an undocumented student, you won’t be able to translate this concept of understanding into your practice,” Nienhusser says.

From the Student Perspective
Nienhusser’s most recent study examined the types of microaggressions undocumented students face during the college-choice process. The qualitative study zeroed in on 15 New York City high school students from Hong Kong, South Korea, Mexico, and Latin America in their high school-to-college transition.

The research found each microaggression – typically initiated by guidance counselors, admission and financial aid representatives, teachers, and administrators – to be a subtle denial of a student’s college opportunities.

Four UConn students representing CT Students for a Dream (C4D), an organization working to grant undocumented students Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status and make attending college more attainable, supported Nienhusser’s research findings with their firsthand experience.

“It’s hard to complete the [college] application and tax information when your parents can’t help you because they don’t speak English,” C4D member Eric Cruz-Lopez ’18 (CLAS) says. “You’re forced to make this life-changing decision on your own, without help from the institution you’re applying to.”

It is also harder for undocumented students to afford college. While many states grant in-residency state tuition, not many grant financial aid. In Connecticut, however, students must be enrolled in high school for two years (not four years, as the law stood previously) to be eligible for in-state tuition, a policy changed with the help of C4D.

Being active in the policymaking process is something C4D member Renato Muguerza ’17 (CLAS) says is essential to improving the future for undocumented students.

“Undocumented people need to be present at the table when making decisions,” Muguerza says.

Held at UConn’s Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center, Nienhusser’s talk was titled “Undocumented Students’ Postsecondary Education Access: The Role of Policies and Institutional Agents in High Schools and Higher Education Institutions.”

University of Missouri Athlete Activism Dispels the Myth of a Post-Racial U.S. Society

Posted on November 20, 2015December 31, 2020 by

Too often, Black college athletes are referenced in negative commentary, whether in relation to low-graduation rates or NCAA sanctions. Contrary to commonly distorted perspectives, the University of Missouri (UM) football players’ actions in recent weeks epitomize the purpose of higher education, which is to stimulate critical thought and cultivate change.

The protests by the UM football players – and subsequent resignation of UM President Tim Wolfe – also bring to the forefront several realities about U.S. society.

One, the protests highlighted the vast power individuals involved in sport, particularly athletes, possess to ignite social change. The actions by the UM football players come on the heels of Northwestern University football players’ efforts to secure unionization status to increase their rights as college athletes within the exploitive structure of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As recently as 2013, Grambling State football players sat out of athletic activities until their concerns about working in outdated athletic facilities were fully recognized and addressed.

In all three instances, a small group of college athletes decided to take a stand for their rights, and national media attention followed shortly thereafter. Rather than remain silent, these courageous athletes decided to be more than glorified entertainers as Division I football players and instead used their high visibility, platform, and agency to draw attention to the various racial issues on their campus.

Similar to their predecessors and former athlete activists such as Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, Bill Russell, Jim Brown, and Jackie Robinson, the UM football players used their platform as athletes to engage in social activism.

Another reality the UM students’ protest revealed was the power of unified and organized actions. One of the most powerful strategies of the Civil Rights Movement was the use of peaceful protests and organized leadership that outlined clear and tangible goals. The collective influence of Jonathan Butler’s hunger strike, the UM football players’ decision to not participate in athletic activities, and the various other student protests at UM signified how concerted, multifaceted efforts can lead to change.

In addition, the clear and tangible goal presented by the Concerned Student 1950 – an activist group named for the year African-American students were first admitted to UM – of demanding President Wolfe’s resignation as result of his lack of responsive leadership was another key strength of this movement. In this unified effort, Black students at UM leveraged their respective influences to ensure their concerns about the racial climate on campus no longer went overlooked.

“Society not only pays attention when Black athletes score touchdowns and make tackles, but also when they take a stand to fight for social justice and racial harmony.”

– Joseph Cooper, assistant professor of sport management

A third reality the UM students’ protest situation revealed was this: We still do not live in a post-racial society. Despite the fact that we have elected our first biracial president to two consecutive terms, the U.S. continues to struggle with the vicissitudes of racism. Butler, the graduate student who spearheaded the protests with his self-imposed hunger strike, cited how during his student tenure at UM he had been called “nigger” on multiple occasions, as well as experienced physical altercations that were racially driven. Although these instances were reported by one individual, in no way are they isolated. Similar experiences were highlighted in the Concerned Student 1950 grievances.

Furthermore, similar instances are experienced by Black students at historically White institutions of higher education across the U.S. and have been since schools were racially integrated in the mid-20th century. The problem with racism not only lies in persistent overt acts of hatred and discrimination, but also in the passive acceptance or laissez-faire response to these occurrences by those in leadership positions.

Sports do not operate in a vacuum. It is not a coincidence that UM is located in the same state as the recent Ferguson tragedy and protests. Although Columbia, Mo., and Ferguson, Mo., are two different places, similar racial issues are present. For example, the racial demographics of the leadership in Ferguson – namely, the police force – are eerily similar to the leadership at UM; both are predominantly White. Also similar to Ferguson, the persistent racial issues at UM did not receive widespread media attention until large protests ensued. In other words, racism is a lived reality for many American citizens – the Black students at UM and the Black citizens in Ferguson among them – and it takes demonstrative efforts to prove to others that we do not live in a post-racial society.

One lesson we all can learn from the UM student protest is society not only pays attention when Black athletes score touchdowns and make tackles, but also when they take a stand to fight for social justice and racial harmony.

Joseph Cooper is an assistant professor of sport management at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education in Storrs, Conn. His areas of expertise include gender and race in sport and racism, and his research agenda focuses on the nexus between sport, education, race, and culture with an emphasis on sport as a catalyst for holistic development and positive changes in society.

Neag School Launches Student Scholarship Fund to Honor Longtime Colleague

Posted on November 16, 2015December 7, 2021 by Musa Jatkowski

For nearly 20 years, Valerie Pichette served as executive assistant at UConn’s Neag School of Education – first with Dean Richard Schwab and later with former Dean Thomas DeFranco – as well as a longtime mentor to innumerable students and friend to many colleagues campus-wide. Pichette passed away on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. In remembrance of her longtime dedication to the University, the Neag School announces the launch of a new endowed scholarship in her name, the Valerie J. Pichette Scholarship Fund.

Established with the support of her family, friends, colleagues across the Neag School and the larger University, as well as students past and present, this fund honors Pichette’s 30 years of service to the state of Connecticut and will offer financial assistance to students enrolled in the Neag School’s teacher education program.

“This scholarship serves to honor the hard work and steadfast service of Val as much as that of her fellow colleagues across this University – the professional team members who are always here for our students, and who play such an invaluable role in carrying out the mission of this institution,” says Dean Schwab. “All of us here at UConn have indeed lost a very dear friend. We are immensely grateful for this opportunity to celebrate her commitment to, and fondness for, our students in this meaningful way.”

Upon hearing of the creation of the scholarship fund, former students of Pichette shared words of appreciation for Pichette’s impact on their lives and careers.

“In working for five years with Val, she not only shaped my trajectory professionally – where she first encouraged my pursuit of academics and facilitated my becoming a teacher – but also personally,” says Lauren Evanovich, former student employee in the Neag School’s Office of the Dean, now a doctoral candidate at the University of Louisville. “I count myself beyond lucky to be influenced and loved by Val. This scholarship will no doubt embody all that Val is and will continue to provide her love and support to every student who receives it.”

Desi Nesmith, a three-time Neag School alum and chief school turnaround officer at the Connecticut Department of Education, describes Pichette as “everybody’s mother.” “When you’re doing well, she let you know it. When you’re not, she let you know that, too!” he says. “She always looked out for us, and saw us as her own.”

“She challenged me and made me work hard because she knew I could be better. She gave me endless opportunities to grow and understand the little importances in life,” says UConn graduate Katie Histen, a physical therapist and a former student employee in the Neag School.

“I quickly realized that Val was the clock spring of the college; the internal mechanism that maintains balance and keeps everything running smoothly,” says Laurie Henry, a former graduate assistant in the Neag School, now associate dean at the University of Kentucky’s College of Education. “Val always made time for faculty, staff, and students, and easily shared her lighthearted humor, bubbly personality, and her love of life and family.”

Others across the University are mourning the loss not only of a longtime colleague, but also a friend.

“Working with Val for over 15 years, you couldn’t help notice that she was a bright and strong woman, had a strong work ethic, was respectful to others and had a strong moral compass for right and wrong,” says former Dean DeFranco. “In speaking with her every day, it was clear that her inner strength grew out of her love of her family. What I will miss most is her laughter and her smile. I lost one of my best friends.”

“I joined the UConn family as the new dean of the School of Education in 1997,” Dean Schwab adds. “One of my first decisions in this role turned out to be the smartest thing I have ever done in my professional career: That was hiring Valerie Pichette as our executive assistant. So many of the successes we have celebrated as a school over the years – from receiving the largest gift ever given to a school of education to rising from unranked to one of the top schools in the country – have been due, in significant part, to Val’s hard work, support, dedication, and heart. In addition to the great things she has done for the Neag School, she served as the mentor and protector for countless numbers of Neag School students.”

And, as Dana Wilder, assistant vice provost for academic affairs, shared: “‘A friend is a person with whom you dare to be yourself.’ I miss my friend Val.”

Pichette began her service with the state of Connecticut in 1985 at UConn’s Office of the Provost. At Quinebaug Valley Community College in Willimantic, Conn., from 1989 to 1997, she served in a number of roles, including as student advisor, adjunct faculty member, and coordinator for special programs. In 1997, with the appointment of Dean Schwab, Pichette then joined the Neag School of Education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education in 1990 from Eastern Connecticut State University and a master’s degree in teaching from Sacred Heart University in 1999.

To make a donation to the Valerie J. Pichette Scholarship Fund, please visit s.uconn.edu/pichette. Read her obituary here.

Neag School Hosts Inaugural Educational Leadership Alumni Forum

Posted on November 4, 2015November 25, 2024 by

Before an audience of more than 125 friends, colleagues, Neag School graduates, students, and faculty, two high-profile Neag School alumni took to the stage this Tuesday at UConn’s von der Mehden Hall in Storrs to share their insights on leadership, as well as their own preparation program experience at UConn, as part of the School’s inaugural educational leadership alumni forum.

Desi Nesmith Ed Leadership Event — “You were never on an island by yourself,” says three-time Neag School alum Desi Nesmith of his time in the UConn Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP) at the Neag School. Nesmith served as one of the featured speakers at the Neag School’s inaugural educational leadership alumni event, held at von der Mehden Hall this past week. (Photo Credit/Shawn Kornegay)

‘Leadership Is Not About You’

Three-time Neag School alum Desi Nesmith ’01 (ED), ’02 MA, ’09 UCAPP, now chief school turnaround officer for Connecticut’s state Department of Education, spoke in part about some of the challenges currently facing many school districts – particularly large, urban districts – across the country, including negative perceptions, teacher turnover, and the ever-present pressure to raise student achievement.

“Because the pressure to perform becomes so great, we oftentimes forget what we need to focus on in the classroom at the student level,” said Nesmith, who has previously served as an elementary schoolteacher and principal in Connecticut, and in 2014 received the prestigious Milken Educator Award. “As school and district leaders, what are we going to do about it? The keyword there is ‘we.’”

“Good leaders don’t do it alone. They create a community of leaders around them – people they want to support, people they want to empower.”

–Desi Nesmith ’01(ED), ’02 MA, ’09 UCAPP

According to Nesmith, being a skillful educational leader is about far more than “having a business card and your name plate on the door.” It requires collaboration – successfully getting parents, students, as well as teachers to “buy into your vision and help you move it forward.” Leadership, he added, “is not about you.”

Nesmith also emphasized the time and investment it takes to shape qualified educational leaders, and credits the UConn Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP) with providing the vision and robust set of learning experiences – including a cohort model and thoughtful internship placement – that he believes are necessary to creating well-rounded leaders.

“Good leaders aren’t made in a day, a week, or a month,” he said. “It takes time. It takes experience. Good leaders don’t do it alone. They create a community of leaders around them – people they want to support, people they want to empower.”

Evolution of a Leader

Garth Harries ’12 ELP, superintendent of New Haven Public Schools, also spoke about how his Neag School experience, as part of the Executive Leadership Program (ELP), helped shape his own evolution as a leader.

Harries shared a story from his time in a previous role in New York City, where he led a controversial decision to close Bushwick High School in Brooklyn. Though he initially faced great opposition from the community, Harries ultimately opened three new, successful small schools in place of Bushwick High, and the graduation rate tripled.

“When I left New York – before I went through the Neag program – I had one perspective on that: It was a lesson in what is possible, on the urgency of the work we do,” he says. “It was a lesson in the inevitability of controversy as we try our mightiest to provide the education we believe our students deserve.”

Now an ELP grad and a third-year superintendent, Harries says: “I’ve come to see other layers of that story.”

In part, he told the audience, “Where I once may have taken a somewhat paternalistic sense [that] we did what was right, and in the end we were successful, what I’ve come to understand is … the need to engage the full community.” Harries talked about bringing the lessons he learned at the Neag School with him to New Haven – for instance, involving the teacher’s union in education reform efforts, acknowledging the importance of the instructional core, and coming to the understanding that “students are not just evidence of success; they are agents of success.”

Following their talks, Nesmith and Harries together fielded questions from the audience.

Are you an aspiring school leader? Find further information about the Neag School’s Executive Leadership Program (ELP) or UConn Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP) today.

Neag School of Education Selected as Connecticut Sponsor for Library of Congress’ National “Letters About Literature” Contest

Posted on November 3, 2015February 16, 2023 by

The Neag School of Education is proud to announce its selection as the Connecticut sponsor for the Letters About Literature (LAL) writing contest for students in grades 4-12. The Neag School was awarded the sponsorship as a result of its sustained commitment to educational outreach in the areas of literature study, reading, and writing.

LAL is a national contest in which elementary, middle, and high school students are asked to read a book, poem, or speech and write a personal letter to that author (living or dead) about how the text affected them personally.

Wendy Glenn, a Neag School professor and the LAL faculty representative for Connecticut, says the Neag School’s involvement will help foster students’ literacy skills and promote professional development opportunities for educators. Graduate students from the Neag School teacher education program, along with schoolteachers from across the state, will also serve as judges at the state competition.

“Through advertising and advocacy, the Neag School will share information about the program among classroom teachers in the state and increase opportunities for young people to participate,” Glenn says. “Additionally, the School’s sponsorship will provide professional development for teachers serving as judges. Upon the selection of the Connecticut state winners, the Neag School will celebrate and share the success of these young writers, highlighting the value of reading and writing.”

The Neag School is Connecticut’s first state-level sponsor of the LAL program in five years. Glenn says sponsoring the program is important in that it gives students the opportunity to write authentically and think creatively about literature.

“Through this process, young people think deeply and critically about a text that matters to them,” she says. “This element of choice fosters engagement and encourages both skill development and play.”

Winners from each state for each of contest’s three categories (grades 4-6, grades 7-8, and grades 9-12) will receive a cash prize and state recognition and advance to the national competition. Tens of thousands of students nationwide are expected to enter the 23^rd annual LAL contest, made possible by a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The theme of the 2015-2016 competition is: “How did an author’s work change your view of the world or yourself?”

Entries are due by Dec. 4, 2015 for students in grades 9-12 (Level 3) and by Jan. 11, 2016 for students in grades 7-8 (Level 2) and students in grades 4-6 (Level 1). National winners at each level will receive a $1,000 cash award, and national honor winners will receive a $200 cash award. Prizes for winners at the state level vary.

For more information, visit s.uconn.edu/NeagLAL.